12

Expect the Unexpected: Common Problems

We felt a compelling need to write this section, especially for Indian and international students. In the current scenario, many such students make it to business schools as re-applicants through a process of trial and error. We have seen applicants applying to all of their dream schools and not keeping any option in the ‘reach’ or ‘safe’ categories. Some people realize very late that their GMAT scores leave much to be desired. There are others who take recommendations from CEOs only to realize that their recommendations lacked substance and were very superficial, taking away from the application instead of adding value to it. The mistakes they made the first time guide them through in the subsequent application cycles. We do hope that with resources such as this book, applicants would not have to go this route. But still, we would like to address some of the most common outcomes of the admissions process and suggest ways to handle these in an effective manner.

Waitlisted

Waitlist decisions have become so common these days that you need to treat it as an extra step to the admissions process, which you had not been informed about earlier. There have even been instances where schools have waitlisted more candidates than they admitted in a given cycle and then used the waitlist to complete the class. You may be surprised to know but schools waitlist as many of their strongest applicants as they do those who are borderline cases. The philosophy is different in the two cases, but you can clearly see that it is more of a selection tool rather than a rejection one. Strong candidates are waitlisted so that the schools can manage their yields better, so as to come on the top with the rankings. These candidates are admitted at a later stage, only when they can demonstrate that they will definitely join the school if admitted. Even then, schools have been known to push the admissions decisions till the end of the month of July and sometimes even August, when the sessions are about to start. In such cases, only those candidates, who are really interested, would still hold onto the waitlist and all others would move on to other schools. This helps the schools to manage their yields. The other case of borderline candidates is different in the sense that they are pulled off the waitlist only when spots become available in the incoming class. This happens when some of the earlier admitted candidates decline the offer and join other schools, thus making space available for a few more people, who are then offered admission with a similar set of conditions.

This system differs from the earlier one where schools used to admit excess candidates knowing very well that there would be a few people who would get admission in other schools and leave the present school to go and join there. This way, the overall number would fall in place with the number of spots in the incoming class. However, more than once, schools have gone wrong with this calculation. A recent example being the dotcom bust year of 2001, when most of those offered admission, chose to enroll, thus pushing up the numbers drastically. Schools, till then, used to behave in a conservative manner where waitlists were concerned. They managed small waitlists and that too of deserving candidates, only of those who would be offered the spots to complete the class strength. Today, the picture is at the other end of the spectrum. Schools need to show their exclusivity by their high yields, which refers to the percentage of number of people joining from among those offered admission to the school. Huge waitlists means that schools are able to get an idea of overall applicant pools and admit candidates at a later date, when they are sure that the offer would convert into an enrollment decision. Again, waitlists are also cleared as part of a wave starting at the top of the pyramid. Schools like Harvard and Wharton release their waitlist decisions first, which causes the admitted candidates at these schools to then withdraw from lower ranked schools and as spots in those schools are filled, more spots become available at schools further down in the rankings.

Whatever the reason for a waitlist, once you are on the list, you need to make sure that you make calculated moves from then on. The most important thing to decide at this stage is whether you really want to join this school or have you already got into your top choice or a better school and so it does not matter anymore. If the latter is the case, we suggest that you pull off from the waitlist, so that it gives a chance to someone who needs the spot more than you do. If you do want to get into this school because you have no other options or this is your dream school or it is the best option that you have, then follow these steps.

1. Contact the admissions office immediately and ask for a feedback on your waitlist and also whether you are allowed to provide additional material in support of your application.
   1. You could be told of some specific reasons such as gaps in your application or a particular weak spot in your story in which case you know the areas you need to work on. You should submit an additional essay addressing these points as well as a letter of interest in the programme stating your commitment to join the programme.
   2. You might be told that your application meets all requirements and you do not need to do anything. In this case, you should submit a letter of interest in the programme stating your commitment to join the programme.
   3. You might be instructed to not send additional material and that you would hear from the admissions office at a particular time, such as in case of Harvard. In this case, it’s better to not send any more material.
2. You should try to get an additional letter of recommendation, preferably from someone connected with the school such as the alumni and submit the same without delay.
3. You should speak to current students and get some of them to contact the admissions office by e-mail or phone and put in a good word about how you are a good fit for the school. Try to get involved with the school through some of the club activities, conferences, forums, so that you get noticed by the admissions staff as someone who is really interested in the school and its activities.
4. In all the cases mentioned in point 1, you should submit an update on your profile, if it has changed significantly in the recent past since you submitted your application. Suppose you were made a director at the local non-profit organization or the project you were leading at workplace received an award or your responsibilities have changed and you are leading a bigger team, then write a paragraph or two about how your efforts led to this change and how it has changed your perspective and added significantly to your experience as a leader. This is usually appreciated and accepted by all schools.
5. Send in another letter of interest in the programme and a commitment to join the same, after a gap of about six weeks, from the first one.
6. If you have still not heard from the school, wait for four weeks, before sending a similar communication once again.

Avoid sending more than three letters and making unnecessary phone calls. The admissions staff is really busy during the application cycles and do not appreciate being bothered beyond a point. So to avoid loosing effectiveness, limit written communication to three letters and direct conversations to two phone calls only. Your second call should be placed roughly about eight weeks from the first one made immediately after receiving the waitlist decision.

The purpose of all of the above is to make a strong pitch for the few available spots for those on the waitlist. Your objective is to gain top of mind awareness as a strong candidate who is interested in attending the programme and who has shown strong commitment to make every possible effort to achieve this goal.

Rejected? Read On…

We concur that it takes a lot of effort to accept a rejection and the first reaction in most cases is that of despair and hopelessness. However, if you handled the application process in a sensitive manner, as laid out in this book, the chances are rare that you would face a rejection from each of your five to seven choice schools, particularly from the safe and reach schools. A rejection from a couple of schools is nothing to worry about, but is in fact a reason for applying to more than one school. Again, a few rejections along with a couple of admits do not allow you to make a definitive statement about the weak areas of your application, unless you yourself are sure about those, for each school follows a different process for making such decisions. Let’s look at the various rejection scenarios and the suggested responses.

1. Rejection type 1-Dream Schools: We all agree that dream schools are a far shot and we would like to take the chance. There is no reason why you should be upset about this decision, given that you agreed that it was only a chance. Take time out to reflect on the matter and you would feel better soon. You need to look forward to attending one of your reach schools.
2. Rejection type 2-Reach Schools: In this case, you need to go back to your application and look at each part in a very careful manner. There has to be a glaring inconsistency or weakness in your application for your rejection from reach schools. You need to overcome your pain of rejection as soon as possible and focus on overcoming this weakness. Also, you need to decide if you want to attend one of your safe schools or apply again next year.
3. Rejection type 3-Safe Schools: This points to a mishandling of the entire application process and should be a cause of concern for you. You need to rework your application in its entirety so as to have a good shot at admissions as a re-applicant.

The best way to deal with a rejection of type 2 or 3 is to first take a small break and refresh your mind. Once you are more comfortable and able to think clearly, set your priorities right. Decide if you want to reapply (in case of type 2) at all or you want to drop out of the application process. This will depend, more than anything else, on how compelling is your reason to get an MBA. If you decide to reapply and devote another year to the process, we suggest that you start early this time and focus on getting it right.

The following steps should be the pre-preparation to a re-application by a candidate:

1. Check with the schools where you were rejected if they would provide a feedback on your application. Schools like Wharton, Kellogg, Tuck, Darden, Haas, and Oxford provide such a feedback.
2. Schedule a feedback session with the school. Be very polite with the staff for they are helping you by providing feedback. Take notes when listening to the officer about specific areas of your application. Remember that you would gain nothing by being defensive or arguing with the officer. Accept that your application was lacking in specific areas to face a rejection. Atypical session would address one or more of the following areas:
   1. Academic background
   2. Communication skills, leadership and teamwork abilities
   3. GMAT score/TOEFL score
   4. Work experience/career progress
   5. Career plan (short-term and long-term goals)
   6. Personal development (community work and extracurricular activities)
3. If it is possible to schedule more than one such session, please do so as it will give you a better understanding of your weak areas, especially if all schools point out similar concerns.
4. Remember to read between the lines while talking to the admissions officer(s). They will indicate some of the things but not name them, since they do not want to get into any controversy. Do make a note of such things.
5. Reflect on the information collected and evaluate your application in a critical manner. Don’t be cynical and give up hope. Instead, prepare yourself to start the whole process with a fresh approach.
6. Restart the application process. If you feel that you will do justice to starting from scratch, start work on your essays in the light of the information on your perceived weaknesses. However, if you feel that your application was okay, then work on the required re-applicant essays as asked by the school However, the choice to submit a fresh applicant essay is not available everywhere. In the case of Harvard or Stanford, fresh applications are required and there are no re-applicant essays. But such is not the case in other schools.
7. Focus on your work experience in the time available to you. Try to utilize it, so as to gain varied experience and more leadership and teamwork opportunities, which will add, both, to your personality and to your application. Remember that to be successful a second time is harder than the first. You need to present a convincing case that you have indeed developed yourself and that there is a substantial improvement in your application which is mostly related to work experience as most of the other parts remain constant.
8. Focus on your recommenders and decide if you need to change one or both of them or continue with the same people. If you do, discuss your application and profile with them in detail and get them to rework on your recommendation from scratch, including more relevant examples and focussing more on your strengths and changes in your work profile.
9. Try to get involved in a few community-related activities on a regular basis so that you present a well-rounded profile, if such an experience was lacking in the original application.
10. Retake the GMAT and improve your score and try to get it in the range of 700 and above. Try to get a well-balanced score with above 80th percentile in, both, verbal and quantitative sections and a score of 5 and above in AWA.
11. Take a few courses relevant to an MBA programme such as accounting, finance or economics, in a local college or through a distance-education programme. This will show your analytical abilities and also help you to build a new GPA, which might help you in a significant manner.
12. Finally, plan your strategy and work through the various techniques as outlined in this book, including, selection of the right business schools in the form of safe, reach and dream school categories.

If you work hard and direct your efforts in the right direction, you will get into a good business school as a re-applicant or even as a first time applicant (for a different school from your earlier applications). You would have the benefit of your experience, the insights gained from various schools about the weaknesses in your application and the help from this book in planning your strategy for maximum effectiveness. You just need to start early and keep working towards achieving your goal.

Appealing a Rejection

Schools stake their reputation on not making admissions mistakes. They, therefore, pay attention to each and every part of your application and take a decision only after a careful consideration of your case. To rule out excessive subjectivity, each file is read by at least two people before a decision is made in most schools. They do not know you personally or for that matter most of the other applicants and hence personal bias has no place in such decisions. Since you stand an equal chance with all other applicants for either getting selected or rejected, the decision made by the school is final in most cases. The schools do not make admission mistakes by selecting inferior candidates but may overlook one qualified candidate for another depending on the impression that the applicant has left on them through his/her application, which is the real medium of communication in this process and also the most important one.

Our recommendation is that you accept the decision of the school. Do not appeal against this decision unless you have strong reasons to believe that your application was not given proper consideration, which may be based on the feedback that you received from the school. In cases where they do not give you feedback, you have no basis for an appeal against this decision. However, if you feel that your profile is strongly suited to the school’s culture and you are absolutely sure that if admitted, you want to attend this school, then give a serious thought to such a discussion with the admissions committee. Even in this case, you stand a far-off chance. Tell them if there is a new development in your professional life that projects you in a strong light and brings to fore some of your strengths making you a suitable candidate for the school, for you will need to present material to support your case during your discussions with the committee. If you are ready with new evidence which supports your candidature, contact the admissions office and speak to the admissions director and present your case as well as request for reconsideration over the decision in your case. It would be more impactful if you can be physically present at the school at this time. Confidence, coupled with a strong application might do the trick for you. Be at your best behaviour and be polite and courteous to one and all, which might tilt the scale in your favour. Remember, that in most cases the decision stands final, and reconsiderations are rare. This is also mentioned in the initial clause that you sign when you submit your application. So avoid an appeal unless you strongly believe in your case and yourself.

The Other Options

For international candidates, reapplying is a difficult choice because the application process is a costly affair. Reapplying also requires a considerable investment of effort and time and even then the guarantee of success is not fixed.

In situations like those described above, one option is to opt for a lower ranked school or your safe choice. It might seem like a trade-off which most people advice against, considering the investment required to get an MBA from such schools is not very different from that of a top school. Of course, enroll at the best possible school that you can get into. But if you consider the top 100 schools across the world, they are all very good institutions, provide quality education and open up a lot of doors for you. It’s true that a Boston college does not match up in brand reputation with Harvard, but it can still get you where you want to be. It is well respected and recognized in the developed world and equips you with all the required management tools. You will get access to a network of school alumni as well as the recruiters based on the east coast of the US, which will provide you a host of opportunities for building a great career. Be realistic about your profile and the schools which you can reach and then apply with an open mind. If you have researched the programmes well, you will realize that the top 100 MBA programmes are all well established and you can surely find a few programmes to suit your needs.

Another option for people seeking a top brand name MBA is to join a lower ranked school, which has a well-established exchange programme with a top school of your choice. If you perform well and are able to work it out, you can go to a top school on exchange. This way, you get to study there and get access to their network as well as make important social connections. You obviously get the brand name on your résumé. Some schools even issue a diploma certificate for such a programme which adds further value. This is a way to get the best of both worlds.

Finally, you could consider doing a related degree such as Master of Science in Business Management, which would allow you to take some courses in the business school and give you the brand name of the university or even the school in a few cases, such as Stanford GSB. This will give you access to the world-class resources of the school, make you a part of the alumni network and give you access to recruiters.

Key Points

• If you get waitlisted, first analyse if the school is really where your heart is set. If not, do not waste your time and efforts.
• Contact the school immediately to find out about your expected response.
• If you are asked for supplemental information, send out the same without wasting time. Look at the Chapter 6 for timelines of response frequency.
• If you are asked to not send in any other information, send out a note expressing your interest as well as intent to join the programme, if admitted.
• If rejected from your dream school, do not brood. In case of a reach or safe school, take some time off and think about what went wrong.
• Make a decision either to attend another school or to reapply. If you decide to reapply, start early and prepare well. Analyse the process well to learn from your mistakes.
• Do not appeal a rejection unless you have a really strong reason to do so. If you do, then support your hypothesis with facts and figures and be confident.
• Remember, you have other options to get where you want, which do not necessarily take the MBA route. Think about them and evaluate their suitability for your plans.
• Make a decision and move on in life.